Quiet Morning Walk, Lunch With a Friend and Old Genever, Amsterdam, Netherlands

The weather has been mainly dull and slightly wet this trip and the forecast for today wasn’t great, so it was a pleasant surprise this morning to wake to brightness, blue skies and a hint of sun. After breakfast I set off towards the State Hermitage gallery, an Amsterdam offshoot of the famous Russian Hermitage. It had been recommended to me so I decided to visit. It was so peaceful and quiet as I walked there and just a perfect time to enjoy the beauty of Amsterdam.

There was a strange system of having to buy separate tickets for different displays; a combined ticket very expensive. I didn’t have much time so bought a ticket for the Golden Age Gallery. Really I should just have left it and gone back when I had more time, but it’s well laid out inside and I managed to grab a quick and good coffee in the large and attractive cafe, which you can get into without gallery ticket.

After a brief return to the hotel, I headed northwards, through the Jordaan to Watertorenplein, near Westerpark, to meet my Dutch friend Rita, who returned to the city just over a year ago after living in Spain for a few years. Rita suggested meeting at Cafe-Restaurant Amsterdam, which is inside a converted old pumping station. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).